Chapter 1908: Willing to Accept the Loss

The two stood in the arena, separating and pacing to either side of Yuwen Yong. Weng Xing smirked, "Oh, another general from Yao State, is it?"

What did he mean by "another"?

Dr. Li pointed at the brothers and said to Yuwen Yong, "I almost forgot to tell you, they played a significant role in the death of your Yao State's Grand General Xue Zongwu!"

Yuwen Yong's expression changed. "What do you mean?"

He never imagined hearing Xue Zongwu's name here.

Xue Zongwu had died at the hands of Emperor Jiuyou; the entire Yao State knew this, and even the Heavenly Palace's Cloud Emissaries confirmed it. What connection could these two possibly have to that? Could it be...?

"At that time, we had the honor of fighting alongside Emperor Jiuyou," Weng Su bared his teeth, revealing a gleaming silver axe with a menacing blade. "Come on, let's see how much of Xue Zongwu's skill you possess, and whether you're worthy of being our axe's sacrifice!"

Yuwen Yong looked at them, then at Dr. Li and the others, his expression shifting from shock to disbelief. "You... you and Emperor Jiuyou...?"

He had already guessed that the Purple Wharf Association in Duo City was most likely a front for the Yangshan Merchant Guild, from its warehouses to its personnel. Otherwise, how could such a desolate small town suddenly have a large group of elites and a vast quantity of supplies?

The Yangshan Merchant Guild belonged to He Xiao, didn't it?

Yet these two claimed they had fought alongside Emperor Jiuyou to kill Xue Zongwu! And the surrounding Yangshan guards remained calm, showing no surprise, clearly already aware.

Could such a thing really be stated so openly?

So, what was the relationship between these Yangshan guards and the Black Armored Army?

Yuwen Yong then remembered the warehouse full of weapons next door and blurted out:

"You are the Black Armored Army?"

At his words, the Yao soldiers were horrified. The enemies, illuminated by the torches, seemed to instantly become more menacing.

Now's the chance! The Weng brothers exchanged a look, their minds in sync, and lunged at Yuwen Yong from left and right!

The two brothers always preferred to fight together, disregarding notions of single combat; winning was all that mattered.

The ensuing battle held no suspense.

Yuwen Yong was a formidable general in Yao State, whose prowess even General Chongwu previously dared not challenge. However, he had suffered repeated defeats and injuries during his escape, leaving him exhausted and weakened. Furthermore, he had just been disturbed by the Weng brothers' words—

He knew that mentioning Xue Zongwu was a deliberate attempt to undermine his will to fight, but facts spoke louder than words, and his heart was still filled with a sense of dread and despair.

Thus, despite his valiant fight, he only lasted a dozen rounds before Weng Xing slashed his left arm. Then, Weng Su delivered a powerful kick to his kidney, sending him flying back several yards. When he landed, his vision went black, and he couldn't get up.

These two guys were incredibly strong!

Especially their combined, unchivalrous attack, executed with such perfect coordination; a single moment of distraction from their opponent was all they needed to seize an opportunity.

The Yangshan guards cheered.

When it came to fighting, you could always count on Weng One and Weng Two, as usual.

Weng Su then rested his axe on Yuwen Yong's neck. "You lose."

The other Yao soldiers turned ashen. While the duel was underway, the Yangshan guards had already surrounded the warehouse area, making escape difficult for them.

Dozens of crossbow bolts were aimed at them.

Feeling the chilling killing intent radiating from the axe blade, Yuwen Yong knew the person before him intended to kill, and immediately cried out:

"Wait, I'm well acquainted with your Island Master He!"

"Everyone says that," Dr. Li chuckled. "Across the entire Golden Plains, who doesn't know Island Master He?"

The others chimed in, "Yes, we're tired of hearing that."

"No, no, my Yuwen family and Island Master He jointly confronted Regent Qingyang in Tianshui City and endured significant pressure together. My younger brother is a frequent guest of Island Master He, spending four out of ten days with him!" In this moment of life and death, Yuwen Yong no longer cared if his words held any ambiguity, desperately trying to grasp a glimmer of hope. "If you don't believe me, just send a swift message to Island Master He and ask him! If he denies it, you can kill me then; it won't be too late!"

The Yuwen family in Yao State was indeed powerful and influential. Island Master He's activities in Yao State might indeed have intersected with them. It would be somewhat inappropriate to mistakenly kill a friend of their master.

Dr. Li pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. "Take them into custody!"

This meant they wouldn't be killed for now.

The Yao soldiers lost their will to resist and were separated into several cellars and empty warehouses, while Yuwen Yong and a few leaders were isolated individually.

"Can we have some water?"

The captives pleaded.

"Can we have some more food?"

They had been hungry for too long; their limbs were weak, and their vision blurred, which contributed to their swift defeat.

"..." Weng Su listened from the side, annoyed. "Might as well just kill them all cleanly."

Weng Xing reminded him, "It's still not too late to slit their throats now; one slice each, very quick."

Dr. Li, preferring to be cautious, said, "Send a message to Ju City and inquire; it won't take much time."

After the battle, everyone quickly assessed the damage.

Fortunately, less than ten percent of the grain in the warehouse was damaged, but the pillars of the storage building were cut crooked and needed to be reinforced.

Dr. Li dispatched more men to guard the captives.

The Weng brothers, meanwhile, basked proudly in the praise of the others.

After Xue Zongwu's death, they continued their chivalrous deeds, and several months prior, they traveled to Julu Port, leaving a message on the bulletin board of the Floating Isle Ghost Market as agreed, then waited for Emperor Jiuyou to appear.

The two were filled with trepidation, but the one who arrived after hearing the news was not Emperor Jiuyou, but Qiu Hu from the Yangshan Merchant Guild.

Emperor Jiuyou decided to incorporate these two into the Black Armored Army.

The Weng brothers were, of course, more than willing, throwing themselves directly into Qiu Hu's—no, directly into the embrace of the Black Armored Army.

Two months later, Qiu Hu, using them as intermediaries, incorporated the rebel army led by Dr. Li.

This was an instruction from He Lingchuan.

In his view, Dr. Li's ideals largely aligned with the Black Armored Army, and this man, not of humble origins, though lacking in raw courage, was abundant in strategy—precisely the kind of talent Yangshan needed.

As for the so-called "rebel armies" across the Golden Plains and the ragtag groups flying the Black Armored Army's banner, Yangshan secretly compiled statistics and, after careful investigation, absorbed six or seven of them.

Some formidable individuals, like the Weng brothers, were approached and recruited privately.

These forces also played a crucial role in He Lingchuan's subsequent plans.

Dr. Li, the Weng brothers, and others were stationed in Duo City, ostensibly as merchant guild guards, overseeing vast quantities of supplies.

People, wealth, and grain—all three were readily available.

Only a select few close to He Lingchuan knew how many such strongholds existed across the entire Golden Plains.

Weng Xing, idly chewing on a blade of grass, said, "When can we finally stretch our wings and show what we can do?"

No sooner had he spoken than an owl flew in from the west, landed beside Dr. Li, and presented him with a note. "A message from the north!"

The north? Dr. Li's spirits lifted.

He opened the note, read it, and suddenly burst out laughing. "Now!"

Weng Xing: "What?"

Dr. Li waved the note at him. "Message from the north: operation initiated!"